Airlines and Surf Riding Vehicle Checking Costs
The following list is a partial selection of airlines and their charges
for carrying surfboards at the time of writing. Always check the
"Contract
of Carriage" for the airlines you are considering flying with your wave
riding vehicles (available at most airlines' web sites but not always
easy
to find or interpret). Always call before booking to confirm the going
rate, number of boards per bag and any embargoes. Since 9/11, airline
travel has become increasingly difficult and expensive when flying with
wave riding boards, and luggage in general,
imposing additional weight and size charges. Rapidly increasing fuel
prices throughout 2008 has made trip planning and budgeting more
challenging especially when navigating the confusing list of charges
and surcharges for baggage of different types, sizes, weights and
quantities. Kayak.com has a baggage fee chart
that is a useful aid. These days you need to consider the whole
enchilada: you need to calculate: ticket price + luggage fees + board
fees = $$$, plus check on embargoes and consider the reliability and
solvency of the airlines.

Note the following shipping options (this information has not been
updated for a few years as of Aug 2008, unless otherwise noted):

Sports
Express
Luggage & Sports Equipment FAQs. DHL, FEDEX, UPS
and USPS are also options, but check for their current policies and
prices. Other options are: Boards 7ft 2inches and smaller
can be shipped via Greyhound Package Express (GPX) for $55. Boards 7ft
3inches and bigger can be shipped via Forward Air (FWA) for $79. These
are terminal-to-terminal shippers, meaning you will have to pick the closest terminal to you and pick up the board there."

Pilot Air Freight.
One user reported that the price was good ($99 including insurance).
They also have experience with boards so that made me feel more
relaxed. FedEx gave me a quote of $250 and UPS gave me one quote of
$125 and another of $7,000! Of course the woman laughed at that quote
but it is their system that spits out the numbers. I told her I could
probably pay the shaper to fly out here, put him up in a hotel, buy the
materials, etc for that money!!!

Surfboards will
be accepted when packed in a case designed to prevent damage to
surfboards, and only upon completion of a Limited Release Tag, for a
fee of $79.

For each fare-paying customer, first checked bag is $20, second checked
bag is $25. Carry-on item: must not exceed 24” long + 18” wide + 13”
tall for a total combined linear measurement of 55 inches.

Boogie boards are no longer explicitely noted. Used to be that one (1) boogie
board would be accepted when packed in a case designed to prevent damage
to boogie boards. The boogie board will be accepted only upon
completion of a Limited Release Tag. Ditto for snowboarding equipment (now a 70 lb limit).

Oversize baggage rates are based on overall dimensions (length + width
+ height): $49 for bags with dimensions from 62 to 70 inches and $79
for bags with dimensions from 71 to 80 inches. Baggage over 80 inches
in dimension (with the exception of some sporting equipment) will not
be accepted.

Selected
sporting equipment may be a part of the free baggage allowance when
checked in lieu of the first piece of luggage acceptable under
this allowance, including:Golfing equipment - one (1) bag including fourteen (14) clubs, twelve
(12) balls and one (1) pair of shoes. If the weight of the equipment
exceeds sixty (60) pounds, a $50 fee will apply. Standard overweight fees for hockey and lacrosse equipment.

Each
checked piece of sporting equipment listed below is subject to our
standard checked baggage service charge, overweight fee or oversize
fee: Boogie boards, Surfboards. Probably surfboard fee would be $75. Up
to two boards in the same case may be checked for one charge.

Regular luggage:
Passengers flying Alaska Airlines are subject to a $20 one-way charge
for each of the first three checked bags. Charges are assessed to the
destination or first stopover of 12 hours or more. Checked baggage
charges must be paid again by passengers who continue their journey and
check bags after a stopover of 12 hours or more.

AA has joined the "unfriendly" nickle and dime business with baggage
including measuring and charging for carry-on bags and having reduced
the outside dimensions of those.
PDF of Baggage Allowances as of Oct 29, 2008.

$150
for each
board in addition to the applicable checked baggage fees, based on the
number
of checked bags, up to 70 lbs. and 126 inches. One surfboard. If
lightweight boards and bag is under 50 lbs. then more boards are
allowed.

Regular luggage:
Your
first checked bag is $25 and the second checked bag is $35.
That is a quick $60 each way per person. $100 per piece for the 3rd, 4th and 5th checked bags. No charge for your carry-on bag, yet.Two bags checked to the Caribbean, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central and South America: No chargeBaggage fees waived for some frequent flyer tickets or elite status.

No fees for travel to Central America if it is the 1st or 2nd checked bag.

I
have never had a problem checking my paipo board w/gear in bag except
for one time that I was charged. [As of March 2011, make that two
times. My board was charged $150 for an over-length item. No charge on
the return trip.] Kneeboards
count as an item of luggage. Free in place of one 62 inch bag. Snowboard: Free in place of one 62 inch bag, 50 lbs. Surfboards Exception: Kiteboards and
wakeboards and containers that are less than 62 linear inches and under
50 lbs. are free in place of one 62 inch bag in the free allowance.

Certain items, such
as skis and golf clubs, will be accepted as one item
under your free baggage allowance.
The free baggage allowance varies by international destination. Please contact an American Airlines representative at 1-800-433-7300 for specifics.

Good passenger seating legroom. NOT anymore. MD-80s have
leather, built-in head sleep rests.

Surfboards (max two/bag), $75 to all destinations, excluding São Paulo and San Jose (SJO) which are charged only USD $50.

Regular luggage: To/From United States, San Juan and
Mexico Except Brazil-Up to 2 pieces, not to exceed a maximum
individual weight of 50 lb. Additional size and weight fees. Many
embargoes.

No charge as part of
regular luggage allowance. (Note: Sports equipment not listed above or
other special equipment cannot exceed 62” or 100 lbs and are permitted as part of the allowable baggage limit / carry-on luggage or as excess baggage.)

Surfboards are one board per bag; additional boards in a bag will be charged, per board, the excess bag rate.

Regular luggage: $25 fee for first bag and $35 fee for
a second
bag when traveling on economy fare tickets in the U.S., PR, VI
and Canada; no fee for first bag and $50 for 2nd bag when travel is to
many international destimations, except no fees for Central and South
America. Some exceptions apply.

Boogie boards smaller than or equal to 43 inches (107 cm) will be accepted as part of the free allowance.

Ski or Snowboard Equipment: One ski/pole bag or one
snowboard bag, and one boot bag is accepted per person. The combined
weight of the ski/snowboard bag and the boot bag may not exceed 50 lbs.
or excess weight charges will apply. Linear dimensions may exceed 80 inches (203 cm), no excess size charges apply.

Coach Plus is no charge.
Coach Plus: Passengers connecting on the same reservation to another
Hawaiian Airlines Inter-island flight will be exempt from 1st and 2nd
checked baggage fees.

Boogie
boards and Skim Boards will be accepted as checked baggage. Normal
baggage fees apply. When in excess, each item of Boogie board or Skim
board will be subject to the excess baggage charge for a single piece.

The following equipment will be accepted
as checked baggage, and will be included as part of your baggage
allowance: bicycles, surfing equipment, and windsurfing equipment.
These items will be subject to a charge whether or not
presented as a single piece, but are exempt from an additional oversize
fee.

What is accepted: one surfboard per case; we recommend that surfboards
travel in a hard-sided (rather than soft-sided) case to prevent damage.

Domestic & Int'l Flights: Surfboards are accepted for a fee of $50
per board each way and will count as one of your checked bags. Same fee
for sail boards. Not accepted to to/from Bermuda, Santo Domingo and Santiago.

Regular luggage:
One bag, not to exceed 50 lbs, may be checked free of charge.
Second bag will be $30. Overweight, oversized,
and excess baggage may be checked on a load-availability basis, per the
guidelines detailed below. Please note, fees will be assessed for each
category that applies.

Ski and snowboard equipment are not
accepted on flights to/from the Dominican Republic due to checked
baggage size restrictions. There is no additional charge for ski and
snowboard equipment on domestic flights; however, one item of equipment
will count as one of your checked bags. Ditto for water skiing and
wakeboard equipment.

Policy is not explicit about bodyboards and kneeboards, but these items are comparable to snowboards and wakeboards.

Golf equipment is accepted on all domestic flights, as
well as on flights to/from Aruba, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cancun and the
Dominican Republic. There is no additional charge for golf bags;
however, a golf bag will count as one of your checked bags.

Manual and battery powered scooters will be accepted for transport. A
manual scooter is a razor-type scooter without a battery. It is
operated by the rider physically pushing the scooter. There is no
battery attached. A battery powered scooter can be one of three types:
* razor-type scooter
* powered chair-type scooter (for disabled customers)
* Segway Human Transporter (HT).

Korean
AirHas not been updated

$100-$150 depending
on the destination

.

.

Lan
ChileHas not been updated

$120

.

.

LufthansaHas not been updated

$50

.

.

MalaysianHas not been updated

$109

.

.

MexicanaHas not been updated

$45

.

.

QuantasHas not been updated

free as part of your
two bag limit; otherwise, $33 each way; or $92 for boards over 10'

Overweight items from 51 to 70 pounds will be accepted for a charge of
$25.00 per item. Items weighing from 71 to 100 pounds and oversized
items in excess of 62 inches but not more than 80 inches (i.e.,
surfboards, bicycles, vaulting poles) will be accepted for a charge of
$50.00 per item.

Surf Boards: The charge for these items is $100 each way and may include 2 boards in a single bag.

Regular luggage: A carry-on bag cost ranges from $20, $30 or
$45. Checked bags: first bag ranges from $18 to $45 and the
second bag ranges from $25 to $45. NOTE: 40 lb limit for checked bags
or extra fees apply (e.g., $25 for up to a 50lb bag). All overweight or
oversized items are weighed and sized at the airport, and applicable
fees are collected at Check-In.

Spirit Airlines can only guarantee the transportation of one (1) item
as checked luggage per fare-paying customer at the airport. Additional
bags are accepted only when reserved in advance online. Holiday embargoes.

Spirit
allows only one (1) sporting item per customer. A flat fee of $75.00
each leg will apply for all sporting equipment (scuba tanks, bicycles
etc.) with the exception of golf clubs and surfboards.

If you
check board bags as part of your free baggage allowance (2 pieces), you
may take up to 3 surfboards within one same bag per passenger, up to 70lbs. The
charge for this bag is US$125 each one, each way - with the following
exceptions:
* Between Miami and San Jose, the charge is US$100 each bag, each way
* Any route from or to Brazil, the charge is US$50 each one, each way.

Surfboards are not allowed on our Embraer aircrafts.

If you check them as extra luggage, they are considered standby bags,
and an additional charge of US$175 applies, each one, each way.

Two bags fly for free.

The language on the TACA site is confusing, or maybe it isn't.

This equipment must be checked as one of the 2 pieces permitted in your
free baggage allowance. Included in this policy are wakeboards, golf clubs,
bicycles, fishing gear, archery equipment, and skiing equipment.

Lugeboards, surfboards, wakeboards. One case holding one or two surfboards, luge boards or wakeboards. Maximum 2 boards per case. Fee is per board. $100 each board. (Local currency used in countries or origin.)

Regular luggage: In the USA, one bag is $25, second
bag is $35. Travel between the U.S. or Canada and the Caribbean or
Mexico: first bag free, second bag $30. Travel between North America
and all other international destinations: two checked bags without
charge.

Silent on bodyboarding type equipment although corresponding more closely to kite boards and snowboarding.

All fees shown below are for one direction of travel only, and apply
only when checking in with United. When checking in with a United
codeshare partner, please contact that carrier regarding its oversized,
overweight and excess baggage policies.

Golf equipment.
1 standard sized golf bag with clubs and 1 pair of shoes. Must be
enclosed in full-length protective cover (vinyl/cloth/nylon/or
hard-sided case). Allowed in place of one checked bag.

Old News: Caveat emptor. Information on surfboards as checked baggage can be found here.
A surfboard or boogeyboard, which is less than 62 inches will be
accepted as a part of the customer's free baggage allowance and boards
in excess of that size will be charged as excess baggage. Please be
advised that when booking a flight on Delta Connection Carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines such baggage would be accepted subject to availability of space at the time of check-in.

Sincerely,
Online Customer Support Desk
http://www.delta.com

Hawaiian

The Boogie board will be included in determining the free baggage
allowance and when in excess, each item will be subject to the excess baggage
charge for a single piece. Surf and Paddle boards will not
be included in determining the free baggage allowance and will always be
subject to charge. Note: For the purpose of this provision, each container
may have up to a maximum of two (2) boards. Each container will be charged
at the above rates. No limit will be set to how many containers each passenger
may check. Bicycles will not be included in determining the
free baggage allowance and will always be subject to a charge, whether
or not presented as a single piece: i) Between points within the
State of Hawaii: $20.00 USD; ii) Between Hawaii and points in the
Continental USA: $50.00 USD; iii) Between points within the Continental
USA: $50.00 USD.

Southwest

Sporting Equipment - One (1) of the following items of sporting equipment
may be checked in as one of the two (2) piece free baggage allowance
for each fare-paying passenger at no charge: Snow ski equipment encased
in a container or containers acceptable to Carrier and including no more
than one (1) pair of skis or one (1) snow board, one (1) pair of ski boots,
and one (1) pair of ski poles; Scuba equipment, provided air tanks are
empty and all accompanying equipment (BCD, mask, flippers, weight
belt, etc.) are encased together in a container acceptable to Carrier.
Charges apply for bicycles and wind surfing boards.

TACA

US Air

I have never had a problem checking my paipo board w/gear in bag.

BOARD BAG BLUES:

Surfers' least favorite song is more popular than everby Matt Walker of Swell.com
March 21, 2001

It's every traveling surfer's fantasy. You're at the airport on the
way to some far-flung surf destination. Beside you is a triple board bag
filled with gear. On your back is a light carry-on. The agent calls you
to the counter and asks how many bags you wish to check.

"Just one," you reply, and point to the bulging cocoon.

"That will be $75 per board. Could you open the bag for me please?"

You look next to you and see some plaid-panted fogey checking three
fifty-pound trunks plus a golf bag for free and -- snapping beneath the
sheer injustice of it all -- grab the agent's little pin-on wings and stab
him repeatedly until he realizes the error of his ways and with his last
breath of life decrees all excess board charges illegal until the end of
time.

"Everything's really changing," explains Carol Holland, mother of former
'CT pro Todd Holland and owner of Cocoa Beach travel company Surf Express.
"Lacsa, [a Costa Rican airline] who has historically offered free surfboard
baggage, no longer does so. Other airlines are increasing the cost. People
are traveling with more shit than you've ever seen before. But it doesn't
matter. It's their option how they pack. And it's the surfer's option to
pack as defensively as possible."

It's not just surfers. For those of you haven't been paying attention,
there's an airline crisis in the United States. There are more travelers
than there are flights. Gone are the days when you could check as
many suitcases as you wished. Most airlines now limit passengers to two
checked items. If you're lucky, maybe they'll count your board bag as one
-- but not in the US. And with everything from Thanksgiving turkeys to
medical supplies making their way on these same planes, less space is being
allotted for passenger luggage. So, if you want a bigger chunk of real
estate you better be prepared to pay for it.

"Surfers are not being mistreated," insists Holland. "Airlines are just
charging because they have to. We're asking for special handling. Remember:
a suitcase, you don't care if it goes on the bottom or the top. All you
want is for that thing to go up the little conveyor belt and you stack
them all up. We want surfboards on the top. Plus, there are other problems.
With some planes you can get them in the baggage door but you can't turn
them. And in some cases, you can turn them, but not if the plane is 50%
full. Meanwhile, the public is saying they want low fares, the cost of
labor's going up, cost of fuel is going up, and airlines are growing more
streamlined. Loading a surfboard doesn't fit with what the public is telling
them to do. Do you want everyone's airfare to go up to balance the cost
of your bag?"

The good news is, whereas before it seemed surfboards were the only
items subject to the charges, the rest of the free world's paying now as
well, including scuba gear, sailboards, golf clubs, and even antlers. The
general rule for American and international carriers is be prepared to
pay extra for anything that has more than 62 linear inches (that's length
plus width plus height) and weighs more than 80 pounds. On international
flights, expect a fluctuating scale depending on the destination and to
pay even more for items over 109 inches.

Of course none of this explains a few traditionally pesky matters. One
is the airlines' notorious indifference to surfers' complaints. (Of the
five American
airlines contacted, only TWA responded immediately to an interview
request. The remaining companies only replied upon leaving messages that
the article may not come off favorably if we didn't get a response.)

But a snooty airline representative is hardly news. The most annoying
detail is figuring out why some airlines ask to pay individually for boards
inside a single container. After all, you don't pay per article of clothing
in your duffle bag.

"I don't know if people are taking it too literally because it says
'Surfboard: $75.00'," guesses TWA's representative, one of few airlines
willing to discuss the subject. "But we're aware of the case and how it's
going to be the same size whether there's three boards or just one with
lots of socks around it. As far as we're concerned, one container equals
one piece of luggage equals $75 dollars."

On the other hand, when asked why you have to pay for two boards in
the same bag, Southwest's spokesperson says, "Because there are two --
that's why."

Clearly, reason is about as common in air flight as a decent meal. But
once you accept that you will be paying some amount, the best approach
is to determine which airlines are going to give you the best deal by calling
ahead of time, and then take the proper steps.

"If you travel with two shortboards packed together carefully in one
soft-sided board bag, you'll probably travel at the lowest cost with no
hassle," offers Holland. "Adding that third board seems to be a gray area.
Four? Hang it up, they're gonna say unzip the bag."

"If you want to be assured that the board's going to get there then
take up the least amount of space with the greatest amount of protection,"
she continues. "Keep in mind that there are embargoes during certain
times of the year, so you may show up at the airport and find you have
to sign a statement that says you are aware that your board may not go
on the same flight as yours, so check in way early."

Any finally? "Don't get too smart. On a tight flight, somebody
is eyeballing that thing trying to figure out how to get it on the plane.
If you want it on the plane, pay the fee."
--Matt Walker

Changes to the original article made by the author and subject
to future change -- no party to this web pageis responsible for any charges you may or may not incur. Always
double-check for the latest tariffs, fees,charges, "Conditions of Carriage," etc. Feel free to send
me updated info and include references, please.